Blackwood Farm Master Plan - final report (adopted 3-3-2011)

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Future Blackwood Farm Park—Master Plan Report Adopted March 3, 2011 The Farmstead Buildings As previously noted, substantial work is underway to stabilize and secure the existing farmstead buildings — and substantial further work will be required to use the buildings as part of the park. The Committee considered the role of the farmstead within the park - whether the complex was seen as a group of buildings to be preserved and experienced as external exhibits or whether they should be utilized as part of the park facilities. Engineering estimates to date indicate that the cost of renovating buildings for public use such as the farmhouse and barn may run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Future decisions about whether to commit this level of resources will need to be made by the Board of County Commissioners. As those discussions occur, the committee offers the following ideas about the farmstead: ❑ Keeping the farmstead as a focal point of the park is important...we should not fence people out. ❑ Consider what the historic fencing pattern might have been for the farm and perhaps replicate that. It is unlikely that the house would have been within the same enclosure as the barn, for example. ❑ A sequential or gradual restoration of the outbuildings, in accordance with available funds and possible uses, would be preferred. ❑ The farmstead could represent or replicate the 1920s agricultural heritage of the County, within the context of other Orange County farming practices at other times. ❑ Discuss with State and federal agency partners the potential for collaboration on future farmstead exhibits and demonstration areas. 17